1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to office automation (OA) machinery such as copiers, printers, fax machines, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-purpose feeder for office automation machinery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, OA machinery such as copiers, printers, fax machines, and the like, have a multi-purpose feeder (MPF) that holds several sizes and types of print papers.
FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are perspective views illustrating the configuration and operation of a conventional MPF, respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a conventional MPF includes an MPF tray 10 rotatably installed on a main body panel 1 so that it can be opened to a predetermined angle. An auxiliary stocker 20 is rotatably installed on a front end portion of the tray 10.
Moreover, guide units 11 are installed on both sides of the tray 10 to guide different sizes of paper in a horizontal direction.
An MPF with the above configuration is not used for a cassette feed operation of a printer. Therefore, if a user wants to use the MPF, the user first needs to rotate the tray 10 to a certain angle by using a handle 10a of the tray 10 to open the MPF. Then, the user needs to rotate the auxiliary stocker 20 housed inside the MPF to fully open the tray, and load paper in the tray to begin the printing operation.
In other words, in a conventional MPF, a user has to first open the tray and then open the auxiliary stocker, which is not convenient, especially when the user is in hurry.
Moreover, after using the MPF, the user has to return the auxiliary stocker back to its original, closed position. If the auxiliary stocker is not properly closed, the tray will not completely close.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved multi-purpose feeder for office automation machinery that has a more convenient MPF tray with an auxiliary stocker.